1. Field
Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to methods and devices for selectively controlling and varying surface texture and/or force levels on a mobile device using haptic feedback.
2. Background
Current mobile devices generally rely on audio or visual machine-to-human interfaces: for example, the ringing of a mobile phone or the blinking of a light emitting diode (LED) to indicate an incoming message. Vibration of mobile devices has also been used to notify users of incoming messages. However, each of these types of notifications has some shortcomings. For example, visual information, such as flashing lights or interactive displays, is not only inconvenient but dangerous while the user is driving or is otherwise occupied. Additionally, mobile devices are frequently stored in purses, bags and the pockets of users and if the user is occupied, taking the mobile device out from a bag or pocket, checking the screen for the message and pressing a button in response to the message is not a practical solution.
Audio feedback may alleviate these shortcomings in some scenarios, but still may be inconvenient or inappropriate in some social environments, e.g., during meetings or in noisy surroundings. Vibration relieves some of these issues, but the brief vibration may not be felt by the user and long-term vibration is infeasible due to the limited battery life of the mobile device.
In view of the above, additional methods and devices for human-to-machine communication are needed.